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Tuesday, 18 October 2016

A subgroup of residents met recently to discuss the plans and to raise some ideas for comments that could be made on the application, you may want to consider these when making your own comments.
You could also discuss these with the representatives tomorrow at the meeting

Brief Summary of Discussion and Actions

At the time of the meeting we were unaware
that the council would arrange a consultation event (now scheduled for Wednesday, 19 October 2016 at Bowes St
Community Allotment from 2 pm to 6 pm)

Michael Coates, who
has some experience of the planning process, advised that the developers would
have to respond to each and every issue raised by the local residents. It was
therefore felt that rather than concentrating on one or two key issues, we
should all write to the council about the issues important to us.

In order to aid
this process it was agreed that the following list of potential issues should
be circulated to the group:

Reducing the density

Our rough estimate has a density of 41,000 people per sq mile for
the new development compared with 25,000 in Moss Side currently

We estimate up to 500 new residents with around 100 of these
being children

Tenure

There were concerns that the mix of mostly private ownership
would attract mainly private landlords

This could lead to a transient population, particularly in the
flats, which could have negative effects on the established local
community

It was suggested that restrictions could be placed on the
purchases, similar to those imposed on the purchasers of the new
Infusion Homes properties.

Saving the trees on Broadfield Road

The trees here are healthy and it does not appear from the plans
that their removal is necessary

Creating more green/ communal space

The plans have no green spaces or communal areas

Concerns were raised about the number of children (estimated over
100) with no play areas

Linked to this were concerns about water run off and a request
for permeable paving was made

School Spaces

With a large number of new children (estimated over 100) the
impact on primary and secondary schools in the area is a concern

Concerns about usage of ‘café space’

The plans include 370m squared of café/ restaurant space.

Concerns were raised over the nature of the businesses. There
were strong feelings against more fast food establishments and large
chains

Traffic Calming

There are no measures proposed to calm traffic on Broadfield road

The measures proposed for Bowes Street (2 points where the road
narrows) will not be effective when there is no oncoming traffic.

Traffic crossings on Bowes St were also suggested

Parking

There are no provisions for the people currently living on Bowes
Street and parking their cars there

It was felt the 177 spaces would not be adequate

Workshop/ Community Space

A request was made for community/ workshop space- there seems to
be little though as to how the new community will integrate with the
old- this could be one way.

Policing

There were concerns about how the current policing provision
would cope with this new influx of people

Refuse/ Pest Control/ Litter

There were concerns about how the current provision would cope
with this new influx of people

Individuals are now encouraged to put
concerns in their own words and copy the group (on the mailing list email) in
so that we can share thoughts, ideas and even copy text where appropriate.

This letter is to invite you to the Stagecoach Consultation event on Wednesday 19th October 2016
between 2pm – 6pm at Moss side Community Allotment, Bowes Street, M14 4UW.

This event
will include information and images of the outline proposal. It will be staffed
by Manchester City Council representatives and Rowlinsons design and
Construction team who can respond to any questions you may have on this
exciting new development. Your support would be welcome, and we hope you can
join us.

This consultation
event is in addition to the statutory consultation process.

Information regarding this planning application can be viewed and
commented on via the City Council’s website at www.manchester.gov.uk/planning/publicaccess. Alternatively, details of the planning application can be viewed
online at any library during opening hours.

If you are unable to attend this event, you can still make
comments in writing by 31 October 2016 and post the same to the address
below:

There are notes on the back of this letter that may help you
decide what you want to say and a guide is available on our website at www.manchester.gov.uk/planning. All replies are carefully considered.

Yours
Sincerely

Central
Neighbourhood Team

Who can comment on planning applications?

Anyone, but comments must be made in writing. Anonymous comments
are not accepted.

Who is notified?

As a general rule those immediately adjacent to the development.
We usually send out individual letters (like this one)

although sometimes, notices are also put up near the site or in
newspapers.

Who looks at my response?

The officer dealing with the planning application and other
planning staff. Remember, anyone, including the person

applying for planning permission, is entitled to read your letter.
If the application is to be decided by a Committee

(elected members of the City Council), your views and others will
be summarised in a written report, available for

public inspection a few days before the Committee meets.

Will my views make any difference to the decision?

They might – the Council has a legal duty to consider the views of
the public but your views must be relevant to

planning.

How do I know what’s “relevant to planning”?

Planning is mainly concerned with the physical aspects of the way
land and buildings are used. Issues such as levels

of activity, appearance, parking, noise, traffic or overlooking
are relevant. Examples of issues which are not relevant

include: effect on property values or fears of commercial
competition. If it wants to refuse planning permission, the

Council has to be able to show that some harm will result. The
guide on the website provides more information about

this.

Can I get more advice?

Yes, just contact the planning officer named in this letter about
how to have your views properly considered.

Can I appeal if I don’t like the decision?

No. Only the person who makes the application can appeal (to the
Secretary of State).

Can I complain if I don’t like the way I’ve been treated?

Yes. The Council has a leaflet about how to complain and details
are available online at

www.manchester.gov.uk/complaints. We always aim to deal with complaints quickly.

Thursday, 14 July 2016

We have been encouraged to report speeding to the Police, on 101, especially along Bowes Street, as a larger record of incidents can give a better picture of the issue and could result in a changes in the area to make it safer for everyone.Anti-social behaviour should also be reported to the Police, on 101 in most cases, but call 999 if there is violence or a danger to life, or if a crime is in progress. Keep a note of the incident number they give you.The police recommend that if you are a witness to an incident, do not get involved, record the incident if you can, but to return to your home and report it to the Police, and not to engage in the situation.For more information, please see this previous posthttp://bowesstreet.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/reporting-incidents-to-council-and.html

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

At our June Meeting/AGM, the issue of communal bin use and mess in the alleyways was again raised.
Incidentally, a letter from the council about the same issue was posted at a similar time.

The Neighbourhood Service recommend reporting any instances of fly tipping or dumping waste at www.manchester.gov.uk/ - click on "Environmental problems", here you can also arrange collection of bulky items.

Replacement recycling bins can be ordered at www.manchester.gov.uk/recycling, where you can also order kitchen caddies, replacement caddy liners and green bins for food/garden waste. Using a green bin for food waste will reduce landfill and will reduce vermin attracted to the bins.

Please click on this post to view the letter in a larger format and to view the information about what we can and can not recycle in our area - for example, plastic bottles can be recycled in the brown bin, but polystyrene and other plastics cannot be recycled.

It is important that all waste is sorted correctly.

We also noted at the meeting that we encourage everyone to crush their recycling down, so that more can fit in the wheelie bins - if e.g., cardboard boxes are flat, we can all fit more in the blue bin!

Making sure that we all use the bins properly will make our alleyways a much better place for everyone.

Sunday, 5 June 2016

We have managed to arrange the next meeting! It’s in the community room at Alex Park - near the entrance/next to the tennis courts. It will be nice to see everyone. It’s been a while and it’s time to elect the committee for the new year.

If there are specifics that people want to talk about, just email one of the committee or bowesstreetresidents@gmail.com or get in touch on the mailing list bowes-street-residents@googlegroups.com